The holiday season is just around the corner. This means it’s time to mint money! And one of the ways you can make more sales is by offering Gift Cards via your repair shop software.
Yup, you heard it right!
And if you don’t believe me, these stats should change your mind.
More than 48% of all gift cards sold in the US in 2020 were in December. 51% of gift card holders never redeem their cards.
As per Market Watch’s study, the global gift card market will experience a growth rate of over $350 billion by 2023 with a year-on-year increase of 8.8%. So there is no going back on the success story evident here.
The holiday period is the time to pull in that extra dollar. Not a privilege you’re afforded on other days when people aren’t too willing to splurge.
Even mid-sized businesses can really amp up their sales by using effective techniques to boost gift card sales, tricks I’m betting you haven’t considered before.
But to really maximize on earnings via gift cards, you need to use effective marketing strategies.
What are gift cards, and why should you offer them?
In case you’re not familiar, allow us to enlighten you. Whether you know them as gift cards, gift vouchers, or gift tokens, the concept is the same.
A gift card, simply put, is a prepaid stored-value money card that your customers can use as an alternative to cash for purchases in your repair business.
Gift cards, in addition to their provided sales boosts, offer the following incredible array of benefits for your business:
- They allow you to retain and attract customers.
- They make for convenient gifting options for customers.
- They enhance customer engagement.
- They enable people to retain your brand.
- They are known to get positive customer reviews.
So as a repair shop, if you aren’t utilizing gift card marketing as part of your outreach strategy, you’re missing out!
How To Market Gift Cards At Your Shop
Customize Your Gift Cards
Gift cards are gradually becoming a staple of gift-giving. Everyone is offering them and so should you. But, if you want to gain a competitive advantage, customize!
People love to get customized things, which is why they make for the perfect holiday gifts. So, see if you can offer to customize the gift cards.
Personalization will not only bring in more customers but also generate good word of mouth for your business.
So, if you want to stand out, you need to go smartly! Be original in your approach.
Offer low-value gift cards with purchases
Another good technique is to offer low-value gift cards to your customers with their purchases. Through these, you can retain older customers and attract new ones to increase your sales.
Suppose you offer a $10 bonus gift card for every $75 gift card purchase. Whoever comes in to use the $10 card is likely to spend more than the card balance. This is your opening to earning more with the help of the low-value offering.
So it is money that makes money.
Use your Repair Shop Software for Marketing
Use the marketing campaigns in your repair shop software to let your customers know of your gift cards offerings. You can send email as well as SMS campaigns. Create your campaign such that your customers are compelled to make their last-minute gift card purchases from your shop.
Most software have templates and the option to create your own templates as well. Some even offer integration with email platforms like MailChimp and SMS marketing like Clickatell.
Create Brand Awareness With The Help Of Gift Cards
Did you know your gift cards are pocket-sized billboards? Let me explain.
When your customer gives a gift card to their friend or relative, they also share your brand name, value, product, and services. So, use your brand theme on your gift cards. You can put your logo and use your branding colors and themes to make them easily recognizable.
RepairDesk allows repair shop owners to customize gift cards according to their brand. You can easily edit the card using the Template Editor utility in the POS software.
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So, in other words, your gift card is a constant visual reminder of your brand.
Add Value To Your Gift Cards
While issuing a gift card to a client, give them an option to refund it. Yes, I know it sounds like a bad idea. But hear me out.
You’re not really giving them any cash. What you’re doing is, giving them store credit instead. The reason behind this is that gift cards expire and store credits don’t. So, if they want to refund, they will still be buying something from your store, perhaps at a later stage. So, you win either way.
RepairDesk allows you to refund gift cards by issuing store credits.
Adding this value will eventually help you to earn the loyalty of your customers.
Make Your Gift Cards Traceable
Usually, once a customer gets a gift card and gives it to someone else, they can’t trace it. But with the help of good repair management software, you can easily set it up through dedicated notifications.
Tell your customers that they can track the usage of the gift card and they’d be more interested in purchasing it. Because when they gift it to someone, they often want to know how it was used.
RepairDesk provides automated emails and text message notifications when a gift card is purchased, redeemed, or refunded. So it allows your customers to keep a check on the use of their gift cards.
Use Buzz Marketing Strategy
In a pool of customers, you always need to create a stir.
The same goes for the clients of your repair business. They also need to be informed.
So, with the help of buzz marketing, you can proliferate your message to as many people as you want.
As a business, you put great effort into enhancing your product’s user experience, but you also need to maximize word of mouth. For this, use the buzz marketing strategy and encourage people to talk about your business.
You can also use platforms like Facebook and Instagram to connect with all your potential customers and promote your gift cards. A standard way to do this is to publish engaging content: the vehicle for popularizing these offerings.
Similarly, you can also use your gift cards as giveaways and enhance customer engagement by using the same platform.
For example, ask your customers to like/share your content and give them a gift card as a giveaway. It will let people know about your brand, and you can even get more followers. Furthermore, interacting with your customers will make them feel valued and informed.
With the help of your repair management software, you can also automate the process and send emails and messages to spread the word around.
Give Gift Card Discounts Post-Holiday Season
Bring your customers back to your shop after the holiday season by offering a discount on gift cards. To be more specific, maybe offer a 15% discount card for every $50 in gift cards purchase.
Such an offer will give your shop’s sales a boost during the slow season that follows the holiday season.
Final Word
Whether you’re running your business with the help of repair shop software or not, gift cards are a valuable addition to your product offering. They help you attract more customers and maximize your business. Offering them ‘smartly’, however, is key.
So, have a good marketing strategy in place following the advice above and you should be ready to make some big bucks using gift cards this holiday season.
